Posted by Alumni from TechCrunch
July 25, 2026
OpenAI launched its first piece of hardware last week ' a fancy little keypad built to pair with ChatGPT. Micro, which was developed in collaboration with specialty keyboard designer Work Louder, is essentially an artisanal workplace novelty that many tech enthusiasts will love and that may leave everyone else a little puzzled. OpenAI's entrance into the hardware market hasn't arrived without drama. Several weeks ago, Apple sued the AI lab and accused it of trade theft ' kicking off what's certain to be a long-simmering legal battle. Meanwhile, news of another smart home product in development at OpenAI has also raised eyebrows, as the supposed device ' which is being built to pair with ChatGPT ' was reportedly developed by former Apple engineers. Until the legal battle works itself out and OpenAI's broader hardware ambitions materialize, the most the startup has to offer is Micro ' a funky little keypad clearly engineered to delight the tech industry's code monkeys. OpenAI sent... learn more